WHO WE SERVE

The Saint Andre Bessette Schola is a hybrid school for homeschooling families that desire the support and community which comes from a school, but wish to maintain the flexibility and familial connection that comes with homeschooling.

This hybrid model seeks to buttress parents in their role as educators by offering:

  • A consistent schedule

  • An integrated curriculum

  • A beautiful learning environment and community

  • Lessons from talented teachers

THE VISION:

“The aim of education is twofold: first, to communicate a certain body of knowledge; and second, to cultivate a certain kind of person, to develop as far as possible what is uniquely human in him, and so to equip him with the skills, habits, [virtues], and aptitudes necessary to embrace truth and to become the person he was truly created to be.

Truth is desirable for its own sake. Knowledge consists not in bending the truth to ourselves, but in conforming ourselves to truth. We can only conform ourselves to truth by freely embracing and loving it, and we can only love truth if we are enticed by its beauty. Love of beauty has therefore always been integral to the discovery of truth and true education has always sought to form the heart and mind, reason and will, desire and knowledge. Education forms the whole person in light of truth, beauty, and goodness.”

-St. Jerome Academy, Washington, D.C.

CATHOLIC ROOTS:

“We seek to incorporate our students into the wisdom of two thousand years of Catholic thought, history, culture, and arts so that they might understand themselves and their world in the light of the Truth and acquire the character to live happy and integrated lives in the service of God and others.”

The Schola is not associated with any parish. Non-Catholics are welcome to attend. Much of our curricula is created by Catholics or influenced by Catholic thought. All enrolled families sign the Nicene Creed as a Statement of Faith.

OUR APPROACH:

The Schola emphasizes a classical pedagogy, which is enriched by many of the great contributions made to educational philosophy by Charlotte Mason. The preschool is based on the work of Maria Montessori, but we are not affiliated with any official Montessori network.

The hybrid model embraces the reality that parents are the primary educators of their children. Our school exists to serve families and support them in the great and beautiful work of formation.

OUR PATRON:

Saint Andre Bessette was a lay brother of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Montreal in the late 1800’s. After being orphaned at the age of twelve and suffering learning disabilities and physical frailty, he worked as a porter, laundryman and sacristan. Through his humility and devotion to Our Lord, Brother Andre went on to become very holy—healing thousands and beginning the work of building St. Joseph’s Oratory. Though he was not a learned man, he serves as an incredible example for our children. He reminds us that our education is not just about acquiring certain skills or knowledge that will help advance us in society, but rather our aim is to become well-formed in virtue and to grow in love of God and neighbor.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

  • Class meets Monday to Wednesday from 8:45am to 2pm. There is a half day option for preschoolers which is in session from 8:45am to 12pm.

  • At the end of each school week, teachers send home both assignments and suggestions for continued study in every major subject they have covered that week. We highly recommend that homeschooling families closely follow our programs in language arts and math during their homeschool days (amounting to about one hour of lessons per child each day). Work in additional subjects remains to be done at parents’ discretion.

  • We meet in the sunday school classrooms of a church in Charlottesville, located off Route 29. If you’d like to visit our school, please arrange a meeting by emailing bessetteschola@gmail.com.

  • According to the State of Virginia, yes. Enrollment at The Schola does not qualify as full time traditional school. Our families need to file a letter of intent with their district’s superintendent each fall (first grade and up). We provide sample letters, as well as assessments throughout the year in language arts and math, so that parents can easily keep track of each child’s progress.

  • Our parents are required to pay tuition bills and keep up with minimal homeschool day lessons and assignments. Otherwise there are no requirements for participation in school wide activities or fundraisers. Many of our parents, however, choose to volunteer to coordinate community-building events or field trips.